Suction gold dredge



April 2, 1940. w scHlERDlNG 2,195,541

SUCTION GOLD DREDGE Filed July 2, 1958 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 25 2 J 26' a5 26 6? 80 q f as s 5/ fi INVENTQR. 1 VIM/Mm SM/2rd? April 2, 1940. w, SCH|ERD|NG 2,195,541

SUCTION GOLD DREDGE Filed July 2, 1938 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented Apr. 2, 1940 I UNITED STATES PATENT OFFlfiE.

SUCTION GOLD DREDGE William 'Schierding, Metaline Falls, Wash. Application July 2, 1938, Serial No. 217,209

4 Claims.

This invention relates to a suction dredge and it is one object of the invention to provide a dredge so constructed that it is particularly adapted for use in mining operations wherein gold bearing gravel and sand is removed from the bed of a river and the gravel and sand returned to :the river after removal of gold therefrom.

Another object of the invention is to provide a dredge having a penetrating tube so mounted that it can be disposed vertically through a well I of a barge or other boat and lowered through the Water so that its lower end will penetrate thebed of the stream and gold bearing sand and gravel enter the tube from which it will be withdrawn through a pipe line of a suction pump and delivered to a hopper from which it passeswith the water to sluice boxes so that the gold will be held by rifiles across the bottoms. of the sluice boxes as the sand and gravel are carried through the same and retur'nedto the river.

Another object of the invention is to so mount the penetrating tube that it may be disposed either in a vertical position perpendicular to the bed of the stream or at an incline, and thus permit the tube to be adjusted and operate upon a large area of the river bed.

Another object of the invention is to provide the penetrating. tube with a head at its lower end which is so constructed that it serves as an auger for advancing the tube through the river bed and also as a strainer for admitting sand and gravel but excluding largestones and the like during dredging operations. 7

Another object of the invention is to so arrange the elements of the apparatus upon the barge that the load-will be evenly distributed and the barge well balanced.

The invention is illustrated in] the accompanying drawings, wherein: Y Fig. l. is a view of the complete dredging apparetus shown partially in elevation and partially in section.

Fig. 2 is a top plan view of the dredging apparatus with parts shown in section along the line 2--2 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a sectional view on an enlarged scale taken vertically through the penetrating tube and suction tu-be.

Fig. 4 is a transverse sectional view upon an enlarged scale taken along the line 4-4 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 5 is a side elevation on an enlarged scale of the lower portion of the penetrating tube and the auger carried thereby. 55 Fig. 6 is a view of themeans for rotatably supporting the penetrating tube, the view being taken along the line 6-6 of Fig. 1.

This suction dredge is erected on a boat such as the flat bottomed barge l and in order to protect-the apparatus fromexposure to the weather there has been provided a housing 2 which may be formed of metal or any other desired material. A well 3 is provided at the center of the barge" and .upon'referringto Fig. 1, it will be seen that this well extends vertically'and tapers *to- 10 ward its upper end so that it gradually increases in dimensions toward its lower end, which lower end opens throughthe bottom of the boat. At one end of the boat or barge is mounted a hopper t from sides ofwhichfextend troughs 5 leading to the ends of sluice boxes 6 extending longi tudinally of the barge at opposite sides thereof and sloping toward the other end of the barge so that gold bearing sand and gravel will be easily carried through the sluice boxes and the gold 20 caught by the rifiles 1 while the sand and gravel are returned to the river, lake, or other body of water upon which the barge floats.

A frame 8 having corner posts 9 and I0 is erected upon the barge with its upper portion projecting through the housing 2 and upper end portions of the corner posts carry tracks I I along which travel the rollers E2 ofthe rails 13 upon which-the carriage M is movably mounted. Since the carriage moves along the rails 13 in a direction at right angles to' the direction in which the rails move along the, tracks H, the carriage may be shifted longitudinally of transversely of the barge and disposed at the center of the frame 8 or in any desired position within the boundaries of the frame. The carriage is provided at its center with a pulley l5 engaged by a strong rope I6" and this rope or cable is wound upon a drum I! carried by one of the corner posts it at such a distance above the deck of the barge that a person may easily reach the handle 19 of the drum andturnthe drum to wind the rope thereon or unwind the rope from the drum. p

i A motor 28, which is an internal combustion engine of conventional construction, is mounted on the deck of the barge between the frame and. one end of the barge; and rotary motion is transmitted from the motor to a shaft 21 by a belt 22 which is trained about pulley wheels 23 and 24 carried by the shaft 2! and the shaft of the nrnotor. The shaft 2| is rotatably mounted in bearing brackets 25 carried by the corner posts 49 of the frame andthis shaft carries a pulley 26 engaged by a belt 21 which is also trained about the pulley 28 carried by the shaft 29. The .5

' the pump.

shaft 253 is rotatably mounted in bearing brackets carried by the corner posts l0 and, in addition to the pulley 28, also carries a pulley 3i engaged by a belt 32 which is trained about the pulley 33 of the suction pump 34 and operates It will thus be seen that the pump will be operated from the shaft 29 and water and gold bearing sand and gravel will be delivered through the discharge pipe 35 into the hopper 4 for eventual delivery into the sluice boxes 6. In view of the fact that the motor is located adjacent one end of the barge and the pump and hopper are between the frame and the other end of the barge, the weight is evenly distributed and the barge will be well balanced.

A penetrating tube 36 extends vertically through the well 3 and passes through the center opening 3'1 of a plate or platform 38 secured in a horizontal position on the upper end of the well 3 by a suitable number of bolts 39. A collar 4%] constituting a bearing race and carrying bearing balls 4 l as shown in Fig. 3, fits loosely about the upper end of the tube 36 and is provided with upstanding ears 42 engaged by the lower ends of the arms 43 of a hanger 44. This hanger is formed of strong metal and at its upper end is formed with an eye 45 through which passes a ring 36 since the end of the rope or cable is is secured through this ring, the hanger and the penetrating tube will be suspended from the cable and the tube may be raised or lowered by manipulating the drum [1. which is threaded on the upper end of the penetrating tube, fits within the collar or cup 40 and rests upon the bearing balls so that the tube.

will be permitted to turn freely in the collar.

A suction tube 43, through which sand, gravel and water are to be withdrawn from the penetrating tube, extends vertically in the penetrating tub-e amally. thereof and the upper portion of this suction tube protrudes from the penetrating tube and, at its upper end, carries a header connection or elbow 49 to which a nipple 59 at the lower end of a flexible hose or pipe 5|, is connected by a union 52. The hose leads to the suction pump and in order that priming may be carried out when starting the pump, there has been provided a priming cup 53 at the top of the elbow. A clamp 54 is secured about the upper end portion of the suction tube and has arms 55 terminating in sleeves 55 which engage about the arms 43 of the ranger 44 and rest upon collars 51 secured in. set positions upon the arms of the hanger by the set screws'58. It will thus be seen that while the suction tube will be suspended in the penetrating tube and vertically adjusted there'- with, the suction tube will be prevented from turning when the penetrating tube is turned. By adjusting the collars 56 upon the arms of the hanger the extent to which the suction tube projects upwardly from the penetrating tube may be controlled.

The penetrating tube and the suction tube are formed of a plurality of sections detachably connected with each other, as shown at 59 and 60,

and it is to be understood that as many sections may be added as found necessary according to the depth of the water. The lower section 8! of the penetrating tube carries at its lower end a tapered head 62 constituting an auger and formed with outstanding ribs constituting threads for engaging in the bed of the river or lake and causing the penetrating tube to move downwardly through the same when the tube is rotated. Ports in the form of slots 64 extend circumferentially of the auger A bearing ring 41,

head 62 between the ribs 63 and it will be readily understood that as the head moves downwardly through the river bed, sand and gravel willbe drawn inwardly into the penetrating tube by suction and pass up through the suction tube and through the hose 5! to the suction pump 34 which ejects it through the pipe 35 into the hopper. Gold will be carried along with the sand and gravel and, as the sand and gravel are washed through the sluice boxes by the water and returned to the river, the gold will be caught by the riffies l and held in the sluice boxes. There have also been provided circumferentially extending slots 66 which are distributed about the lower section of the penetrating tube and permit mud, as well as gold bearing sand and gravel, to enter while excluding large stones.

In order to impart rotary motion to the penetrating tube, there has been provided a large gear plate Bl which is disposed about the penetrating tube overthe platform 38 and rests upon rollers 53 mounted in brackets 59 carried by the platform. There have also been provided rollers '19 carried by brackets 1! and engaging 2. depending annular flange i2 formed about the centeropening it of the gear plate and corresponding in diameter to the diameter of the'opening 3! so that the penetrating tube may be freely shifted vertically and also tilted, as indicated by dotted lines in Fig. l.

plate by pins l5 which pass through bearings i and these brackets extend radially of the gear plate and are engaged by springs Tl so that rollers ii; at the inner ends of the brackets will be held against the penetrating tube. which extend longitudinally of the penetrating tube, engage the rollers 78, as shown in Fig. 4, and from an inspection of this figure it will be readily seen that when the gear plate is turned, rotary motion will be imparted to the penetrating tube. The lips not only serve to engage the rollers 18 but also constitute scrapers for enlarging the hole in the river bed and permitting the penetrating tube to easily move downwardly therein.

The bevelled teeth 8% about the periphery of the ear plate 67 mesh with a bevelled gear 81 carried by a shaft 82 rotatably mounted in a frame 53 and, at its other end, carrying a bevelled gear 84 which meshes with a larger bevelled gear 85 carried by a shaft 85. This shaft is rotatably mounted in a frame 87 and carries a pulley 88 about which engages a belt 89 extending upwardly therefrom and engaged about a pulley 90 carried by the shaft 2|. The shaft 2| thus constitutes a main drive shaft from. which rotary motion is transmitted to the shaft 86 as well as to the shaft 29 and, when the motor is started to operate the suction pump, the gear plate 51 will also be turned and rotary motion imparted to the penetrating tube. The operation of the suction dredge will be clear from the foregoing and need not be again set forth.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed is:

1.. In a suction dredge, a body having a well, a penetrating tube extending vertically through said well, a suction tube extending vertically in penetrating tube, a suction pump, a'pipe connecting said suction tube with the inlet of said pump, a hanger for said tubes constituting means for rotatably mounting said penetrating tube and shifting the tubes vertically through said well, a drive gear about said penetrating tube rotatably supported about said well in concentric relation to the penetrating tube, longitudinally extending Brackets M are pivoted to the Ribs or lips 19,

. said pump", a hanger for s id tub-ee- COlZStitu- 2,195,541 I I rib-s carried by said penetrating tube, means car-q ers for-said gear carried by'said table, other rollried by said gear to bear against the penetrating tube and engage sides of the rib-s for turning the penetrating tube-with the gear while permitting vertical rrceat of the tube through thegear, and means J1 rotating said gear.

2. In a suction dredge; a body havinga a penetrating tube extending vertically through saidv well, a suctiontube extending vertically in said penetratingetube, a suction pump, a pipe connecting said suction tube with the inlet of means for rotatably mounting said penetrating tube and shifting the tubes vertically through saidvvell, a drive gear about said" penetrating tube rotatably supported about said Well, bracke ets pivotedto said gear and extending radially thereof at an upward incline toward said pene trating tube and having tube engaging rollers at their free ends, ribs extending vertically along said penetrating tube and engaged at their sides by said rollers for causing turning of. the penetrating tube with the gear while allowing vertical} movement of the tube, and" means for rotating saidgear. t

" 3. In a suction dredge, a body; having a-Well,

a penetrating tube extending vertically through said clamp and provided with sleeves engaged said Well, a, suction tube extending vertically" in said penetrating tube, a suction pump, a pipe connecting said suction tube with the inlet ofsaid pump, a hangerfor' said tubes constituting means for rotatably mounting said penetrating tube and shifting the-tubes vertically through said well, a supporting table about said well, a 7 drive gear over said table having a depending flange about its inner periphery, supporting roll- Well,

ers carried by said table and engaging said flange to prevent lateral displacement of said gear,

brackets pivotedto said gear and. extendirigradb,

tube and engaged at their sides by the rollers of said brackets, said ribs constituting means .ior causing turning of the penetrating tube with said gear and constituting blades for enlarging an opening formed in a river bed by the pe'netrating tube, and means ior rotating said gear.

4-..'In a suction dredge, .a body, va penetrating tube extending vertically, a suction tube extending longitudinally in said penetrating tube, a

frame, a drunna cable ound upon said drum and. trained abouta guide carried by said frame, a hanger carried by said cable and having" depending arms, a bearing race fitting about said penetrating tube and having upstanding ears ens gaged with the lower ends of the arms of said hanger, bearing balls in said race, a collar about said penetrating tube fitting Within said race and resting on said bearing balls, a clamp secured about said suction tube, arms extending from able longitudinally upon the arms of said hanger and, engaging said sleeves to support the clamp and'suction tube in'a vertically adjusted position,

and'means for rotating said penetrating tube.

- SCI-HERDING. 

